Ofcom has launched a consultation to determine whether the recently agreed extended mobile coverage obligations should affect operators’ annual spectrum licence fees. Under the new rules, which shifted Ofcom’s historical focus from population to geographical coverage, operators are obliged to reach 90% of UK landmass each by the end of 2017.

UK telco operator Ofcom has taken six weeks to complete the formality of implementing the geographical coverage commitment compromise achieved between the government and operators late last year. Ofcom has “varied the licenses” such that all four MNOs are committed to 90% geographical coverage for voice calls by the end of 2017.

Vodafone and outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux have signed an agreement for a global small-cell roll-out. Under the deal, small-cells will be deployed on street furniture and billboards in order to improve network performance primarily in urban vicinities.

A large number of operators feel that indoor LTE coverage is an important competitive differentiator today. When respondents to the Telecoms.com Intelligence Industry Survey 2014 were asked to rate on a scale of one to seven where seven represented “extremely important”, 44.4 per cent of respondents and 48 per cent of operator respondents scored indoor LTE coverage six or seven for importance as a differentiator.

The UK’s public service broadcasting organisation, the BBC, has announced that it is to create an independent mobile coverage map of the UK, working in partnership with network analyst firm Epitiro. The broadcaster has developed an Android app in conjunction with Epitiro that, when downloaded by consumers, will feedback data on the availability and strength of signal at different locations throughout the UK.

Mobile operator O2 UK may be asserting it authority as the country’s data king by inking exclusivity deals with both Apple for the iPhone and Palm for the Pre, but 3G coverage maps released by the UK watchdog this week may take some of the wind out of its sails.

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